US20110081160A1 - Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof - Google Patents
Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110081160A1 US20110081160A1 US12/881,462 US88146210A US2011081160A1 US 20110081160 A1 US20110081160 A1 US 20110081160A1 US 88146210 A US88146210 A US 88146210A US 2011081160 A1 US2011081160 A1 US 2011081160A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- power
- forming apparatus
- unit
- image forming
- reset signal
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/80—Details relating to power supplies, circuits boards, electrical connections
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
- G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
- G03G15/50—Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control
- G03G15/5004—Power supply control, e.g. power-saving mode, automatic power turn-off
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) from Korean Patent Application No. 2009-94666, filed on Oct. 6, 2009, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling power thereof, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus to increase power management efficiency by dividing power for each function of the image forming apparatus, and a method of controlling power thereof.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- An image forming apparatus performs generating, printing, receiving, and transmitting of an image data, and examples of image forming apparatuses include a printer, a scanner, a copier, a fax machine, and a multi-functional printer.
- A general image forming apparatus provides power to a control unit and other main devices of the image forming apparatus using a power supply or a converter. More specifically, the power supply converts AC power input from outside the image forming apparatus into a basic DC power, and the converter generates the secondary power used for the control unit and other main devices of the image forming apparatus utilizing the basic DC power. A conventional image forming apparatus performs booting by supplying a reset signal to a control unit when power is provided to the image forming apparatus, using a reset unit to generate the reset signal for the control unit.
- However, in conventional image forming apparatuses, it may be difficult to manage power efficiently since the conventional image forming apparatus controls on/off only for each power source when converting the basic DC power into the secondary DC power. In addition, as the control unit and other main devices of the image forming apparatus are reset all together when power is stabilized, it may be difficult to control power and control reset of each components according to its function. Furthermore, as power is applied to every component of the image forming apparatus all at once, power is used unnecessarily, compromising low power operation.
- Conventionally, a control unit controls overall function of an image forming apparatus, and thus the control unit is always in operation, even in a power save mode. Therefore, it is not easy to perform a low power operation.
- Conventionally, a reset signal for each component may be controlled using hardware, and thus a reset signal may be generated if an output level of the power supply drops below a certain level, which may cause a system lock-up.
- The present general inventive concept provides an image forming apparatus to increase power management efficiency by dividing power for each function of the image forming apparatus, and a method of controlling power thereof.
- Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
- Features and/or utilities of the present general inventive concept may be realized by an image forming apparatus including a power supply unit to generate DC power, a plurality of function units to perform functions of the image forming apparatus, a control unit to control operation of the plurality of function units, a switching unit to receive DC power of the power supply unit and switch power provided to the control unit and the plurality of function units, and a power management unit to receive DC power of the power supply unit and control switching operation of the switching unit according to an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.
- The switching unit may include a converter to convert DC power of the power supply unit into DC power of another level and a plurality of switching elements to provide DC power of the power supply unit and converted DC power of the converter to the control unit and a plurality of function units respectively.
- The power management unit may control the plurality of switching elements to be turned on sequentially in a wake-up mode.
- In a power-off mode, the power management unit may control the plurality of switching elements so that at least one of the plurality of switching elements is turned on to discharge electric charge accumulated in the image forming apparatus.
- The power-off mode may be a mode in which a command to turn off power is received from a user or AC power input to the image forming apparatus is turned off.
- The image forming apparatus may further include a reset unit to generate a reset signal input to the power management unit and a reset signal input to the control unit sequentially if the power supply unit generates DC power.
- The reset unit may generate a reset signal to be input to the control unit if a predetermined time elapses or a system reset signal is received from the power management unit, after a reset signal to be input to the power management unit is generated.
- The predetermined time may be a stabilization time of the power management unit.
- The image forming apparatus may further include a storage unit to store a program related to operation of the image forming apparatus, and the reset unit may generate a reset signal for the control unit after generating a reset signal for the storage unit.
- The control unit may generate a reset signal for the plurality of function units according to an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.
- Features and/or utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be realized by a method of managing power of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept may include generating DC power, inputting the DC power to a power management unit of the image forming apparatus, and selectively controlling by the power management unit power that is provided to a control unit and a plurality of function units of the image forming apparatus according to an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.
- The method may further include converting the DC power into DC power of another level, and the controlling selectively power may include controlling the DC power and the converted DC power provided to the control unit and the plurality of function units respectively using a plurality of switching elements.
- The controlling power may include controlling the plurality of switching elements to be turned on sequentially if the image forming apparatus is in a wake-up mode.
- The controlling power may include controlling the plurality of switching elements so that at least one switching element is turned on to discharge electric charge accumulated in the image forming apparatus if the image forming apparatus is in a power-off mode.
- The power-off mode may be a mode in which a command to turn off power is received from a user or AC power input to the image forming apparatus is turned off.
- The method may further include generating a reset signal to be input to the power management unit and a reset signal to be input to the control unit sequentially if the DC power is generated.
- The generating the reset signal may include generating a reset signal to be input to the control unit if a predetermined time elapses or a system reset signal is received from the power management unit, after a reset signal to be input to the power management unit is generated.
- The predetermined time may be stabilization time of the power management unit.
- The generating the reset signal may include generating a reset signal for the control unit after generating a reset signal for the storage unit to store a program related to an operation of the image forming apparatus.
- The method may further include generating a reset signal for the plurality of function units by the control unit according to an operation mode of the image forming apparatus.
- Features and/or utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be realized by an image-forming apparatus including a power supply, a plurality of operation modules, each to perform at least one of an imaging function, a processing function, and a communication function of the image-forming apparatus, a switching unit including a plurality of switches to receive power from the power supply and to provide power to the plurality of operation modules, and a power management unit to receive power directly from the power supply to control the plurality of switches of the switching unit to sequentially provide power to the plurality of operation modules.
- The switching unit may include a DC-DC converter to receive power from the power supply and to output a power signal having a voltage level different from the voltage level received from the power supply, and the power management unit may control a switch to supply power to the DC-DC converter.
- The image-forming apparatus may include a control unit to control operation of each of the plurality of operation modules, and the power management unit may control a switch to supply power to the control unit.
- The image-forming apparatus may include a reset unit to provide a first reset signal to the power management unit to boot the power management unit.
- The plurality of operation modules may include at least one data storage device, and the reset unit may include a delay circuit to receive the first reset signal and to output a second, delayed reset signal to the at least one data storage device. The reset unit may output the second reset signal to the control unit to simultaneously output the second reset signal to the data storage device and the control unit.
- The plurality of operation modules may include at least one of a user interface unit to receive an input from a user and an external device communication unit to receive an input from an external device, and the power management unit may control the plurality of switches to output power to only to the at least one user interface unit or external device communication unit when the image-forming apparatus is in a low-power mode.
- When the image-forming apparatus is turned off, the power management unit may control at least one of the plurality of switches to remain on for a predetermined period of time after power is turned off to the rest of the plurality of switches to discharge a charge in the image-forming apparatus.
- Features and/or utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be realized by a method of controlling power to an image-forming apparatus, the method including generating a first DC power output based on an AC power input, supplying the first DC power to a switching unit including a plurality of switches and to a power management unit, and controlling the plurality of switches with the power management unit to control power to a plurality of operation units connected to the plurality of switches, respectively.
- The switching unit may include a DC-DC converter having an output connected to at least one of the plurality of operation units, and controlling the plurality of switches may include controlling at least one switch to provide power to the DC-DC converter.
- The image-forming apparatus may include a control unit to control operation of the plurality of operation units, and the method may include supplying power to the control unit before turning on any one of the plurality of switches to supply power to the plurality of operation units. Controlling the plurality of switches may include sequentially turning on the plurality of switches when the image-forming apparatus is turned on.
- The method may further include supplying a reset signal to the power management unit when the first DC power is generated to boot the power management unit.
- The method may include delaying the reset signal to generate a second reset signal and providing the second reset signal to at least one of a data storage unit and a control unit to control the plurality of operation units.
- The method may include, when the image-forming apparatus is changed from a power-on mode to a power-off mode, controlling at least one of the switches to remain on for a predetermined period of time after the rest of the plurality of switches are turned off to discharge a charge of the image-forming apparatus.
- These and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; -
FIGS. 2A and 2B are circuit diagrams of an image forming apparatus according to exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept; -
FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram provided to explain power output corresponding to each mode; -
FIG. 4 is a flow chart provided to explain the operation of the power management unit illustrated inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 is a flow chart provided to explain a method for controlling power according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and -
FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate block diagrams of an image-forming apparatus according to embodiments of the present general inventive concept. - Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures.
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. - Referring to
FIG. 1 , theimage forming apparatus 100 comprises apower supply unit 110, aswitching unit 120, afunction unit 130, apower management unit 140 and acontrol unit 150. - The
power supply unit 110 generates DC power. Specifically, thepower supply unit 110 may be realized as a switching mode power supply (SMPS), convert external AC power into DC power, and generate DC power necessary forimage forming apparatus 100 by decompressing the converted DC power at a predetermined level. For instance, thepower supply unit 110 may generate 24V DC power and 5V DC power. In the exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, thepower supply unit 110 is formed using a SMPS, but this is only an example. Thepower supply unit 110 may be realized using a transformer or a bridge rectifier circuit. - The
switching unit 120 receives DC power from thepower supply unit 110, and may switch power provided to each of thecontrol unit 150 and a plurality of thefunction units 130. Specifically, theswitching unit 120 may comprise a DC/DC converter 124 which converts the DC power of thepower supply unit 110 into DC power at another level, and a plurality of switchingelements power supply unit 110 and the converted DC power of the DC/DC converter 124 to each of thecontrol unit 150 and a plurality of function units 131-136, under the control of theconverter 124. Detailed structure and function of theswitching unit 120 will be explained later with reference toFIG. 2 . - The
function unit 130 performs the functions of theimage forming apparatus 100. Specifically, if theimage forming apparatus 100 is a multi-functional printer capable of performing faxing, printing, copying, and scanning, theimage forming apparatus 100 may comprise a scanning unit to scan documents, a communication unit to transmit or receive a fax or to transmit or receive print data to or from an external printing control apparatus, an engine or motor unit to print documents, and an image processing unit to process print data and scanned image data. Thefunction unit 130 may include one or more of a scanning unit, a communication unit, an engine or motor unit, and an image processing unit, as described above. Thefunction unit 130 may also include various function units related to the functions of an image forming apparatus in addition to the function units described above. - The
power management unit 140 receives DC power of thepower supply unit 110 and controls the switching operation of theswitching unit 120 according to the operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100. Specifically, thepower management unit 140 may cut off or supply power to thefunction unit 130 and thecontrol unit 150 according to the operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100. For instance, if the operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100 is a wake-up mode, thepower management unit 140 may output a turn-on signal for all switchingelements switching unit 120 so that power is provided to everyfunction unit 130. In this case, thepower management unit 140 may output a turn-on signal for the plurality of switchingelements power supply unit 110 does not drop. - If the operation mode of the
image forming apparatus 100 is changed from a ready mode to a power save mode, thepower management unit 140 may control theswitching unit 120 so that power provided to the plurality offunction units 130 is cut off. If the operation mode is changed to an off mode in which power needs to be saved more than in a power save mode, thepower management unit 140 may control theswitching unit 120 so that power provided to thecontrol unit 150 and theconverter 124 is cut off. As such, in an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, theimage forming apparatus 100 cuts off power not only to thefunction unit 130, but also to thecontrol unit 150 in a power save mode, and thus may maintain standby power at less than 1 W. - If the operation mode of the
image forming apparatus 100 is changed to a switch off mode, thepower management unit 140 controls at least one of the plurality of switchingelements switching unit 120 to be turned on so as to discharge an electric charge accumulated in theimage forming apparatus 100. Specifically, if a ‘power-off’ command is received from a user, thepower management unit 140 may control thepower supply unit 110 to stop its operation, and control theswitching unit 120 so as to discharge an electric charge accumulated in theimage forming apparatus 100. In addition, when the AC power provided to thepower supply unit 110 is cut off, thepower management unit 140 may control thepower supply unit 110 to stop its operation and control theswitching unit 120 so as to discharge an electric charge accumulated in theimage forming apparatus 100. - If the operation mode of the
image forming apparatus 100 is a printing mode, thepower management unit 140 may control theswitching unit 120 so that power is supplied only to thefunction unit 130 necessary to perform a printing job and power is cut off inother function units 130. The control method of thepower management unit 140 may be implemented using an optimum algorithm, and the algorithm may be stored in thestorage unit 131 and be transmitted through thecontrol unit 150 when initializing theimage forming apparatus 100. - The
control unit 150 may control the operation of a plurality offunction units 130. Specifically, thecontrol unit 150 may control the plurality offunction units 130 to perform functions supported by theimage forming apparatus 100. - In addition, the
control unit 150 may determine the operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100. Specifically, if a predetermined time elapses in a standby mode without any operation, and thus the operation mode needs to be changed to a power save mode, an off mode, or an end mode, thecontrol unit 150 may notify thepower management unit 140 of the changed operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100. In an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100 is determined by thecontrol unit 150, but this is only an example. The operation mode of theimage forming apparatus 100 may be determined by thepower management unit 140. - As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept, the
image forming apparatus 100 may cut off or supply power to a plurality of components of theimage forming apparatus 100 depending on the operation mode, and thus it is easy to manage power. In addition, power supplied to theconverter 124 and thecontrol unit 150 may also be cut off according to the operation mode, so power in a standby mode may be reduced to less than 1 W. - Furthermore, even when the
image forming apparatus 100 is in a wake-up state, power may not be provided to every component all at once, rather, power may be sequentially provided to necessary components so that theimage forming apparatus 100 can be stably booted. -
FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram of animage forming apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. - The
image forming apparatus 100 illustrated inFIG. 2A comprises thepower supply unit 110, theswitching unit 120, thefunction unit 130, includingdifferent function units power management unit 140, thecontrol unit 150, and areset unit 160. - In
FIG. 2A , thefunction unit 130 may include astorage unit 131, such as a Flash DDR, to store an operation program of theimage forming apparatus 100, an image processing unit, such as a DSP, 132 to perform image-processing on a scanned image and a received printing job, acommunication function unit 133 to communicate with an external apparatus, asensing unit 134 to sense and control a peripheral device, an engine function unit, such as a motor fuser HVPS, 135 (“motor unit”) to perform a printing job, and auser interface unit 136. Although six function units are described inFIG. 2A , any of the six function units may be omitted from the image-formingapparatus 100 and other function units may be included in the image-formingapparatus 100 according to a desired function of the image-formingapparatus 100. - The
power supply unit 110 may be a switching mode power supply (SMPS), and may generate external AC power as 24V DC power and 5V DC power. Thepower supply unit 110 may directly provide the generated 5V SMPS DC voltage to thepower management unit 140 and the voltage detection unit, or voltage detector, 161 of thereset unit 160, and may provide power to other components via theswitching unit 120. - The
switching unit 120 may comprise the DC/DC converter 124 and a plurality of switchingelements switching unit 120 may be a module including a plurality of switches, or it may comprise a plurality of switches located at different locations throughout the circuitry of the image-formingapparatus 100. - If the
first switching element 121 is turned on, the DC/DC converter 124 may receive 5V DC power of thepower supply unit 110 and generate 1.8V and 3.3V.FIG. 2A illustrates that 5V is received and 1.8V and 3.3V are generated, but this is only an example and other voltages may be received and generated. If thefirst switching element 121 is turned off, power provided to the DC/DC converter 124 is cut off. - One end of the
first switching element 121 is connected to the 5V (5V SMPS) output end of thepower supply unit 110 and the other end is connected to the DC/DC converter 124. Thefirst switching element 121 receives a switching control signal from thepower management unit 140. Accordingly, if thefirst switching element 121 is turned off, power provided to all elements except for thepower management unit 140 and thereset unit 160 is cut off. In other words, power is turned off to thecontrol unit 150 and the function unit 130 (including thestorage unit 131,DSP 132, thecommunication device 133, thesub-device sensor 134, themotor unit 135, and user interface unit 136). - One end of the
second switching element 122 is connected to the 24V (24V SMPS) output end of thepower supply unit 110 and the other end is connected to themotor unit 135, and thesecond switching element 122 receives a switching control signal from thepower management unit 140. Accordingly, when a printing job is not being performed, thepower management unit 140 may control thesecond switching element 122 to be turned off so that 24V power provided to themotor unit 135 is cut off. The image-formingapparatus 100 may also include amanual switch 135 a, or another switch that is not controlled by thepower management unit 140, to bypass thepower management unit 140 to supply power to themotor unit 135. - One end of the
third switching element 123 is connected to the output end of thefirst switching element 121 and the other end is connected to themotor unit 135, and thethird switching element 123 receives a switching control signal from thepower management unit 140. Accordingly, when a printing job is not being performed, thepower management unit 140 may control thethird switching element 123 to be turned off so that 5V power (“5VS”) and 3.3 V power (“3.3VS”) provided to theengine function unit 135 is cut off. As illustrated inFIG. 2A , thethird switching element 123 may include two transistors, where one terminal of the first resistor outputs a 5V (5VS) output and is connected to a gate of the second transistor. An output terminal of the second transistor may output 3.3V (3.3VS). Consequently, when the first transistor is turned off, the voltage to the gate of the second transistor is turned off, so each of the output voltages 5VS and 3.3VS are turned off. - One end of the
fourth switching element 125 is connected to the 3.3V output end of the DC/DC converter 124 and the other end is connected to thefunction unit 134, and thefourth switching element 125 receives a switching control signal from thecontrol unit 150. Accordingly, if a peripheral device of the image forming apparatus does not have to operate, thecontrol unit 150 may control thefourth switching element 125 to be turned off so as to cut off 3.3V power provided to thefunction unit 134. - One end of the
fifth element 126 is connected to the 5V output end of thefirst switching element 121 and the other end is connected to thefunction unit 134, and thefifth element 126 receives a switching control signal from thecontrol unit 150. Accordingly, if a peripheral device of the image forming apparatus does not have to operate, thecontrol unit 150 may control thefifth switching element 126 to be turned off so as to cut off 3.3V power provided to thefunction unit 134. - The
power management unit 140 receives DC power (5V SMPS) of thepower supply unit 110, and may control the switching operation of the switchingelements power management unit 140 will be explained later with reference toFIG. 3 andFIG. 4 . - The
control unit 150 controls the operation of a plurality offunction units 130. Thecontrol unit 150 may control the switching operation of the switchingelements - If the
image forming apparatus 100 is booted, thecontrol unit 150 may load a pre-stored program from thestorage unit 131 and transmit an algorithm related to power management to thepower management unit 140. - When the
power supply unit 110 initially generates DC power (5V SMPS), thereset unit 160 generates a reset signal input to thepower management unit 140 and a reset signal input to the control unit sequentially. Specifically, if thepower supply unit 110 generates DC power (5V SMPS), thereset unit 160 may sense the power supply using thevoltage detector 161 and generate a reset signal. The generated reset signal is directly input to thepower management unit 140, and thepower management unit 140 is reset and booted. - The reset signal generated by the
voltage detector 161 is transmitted to a delay circuit and a plurality of logic gates. Specifically, thereset unit 160 may input a reset signal directly to thepower management unit 140 and may transmit a delayed reset signal to thestorage unit 131 and thecontrol unit 150 through a delay circuit so that the reset signal generated by thepower detector 161 can be transmitted to thepower management unit 140, thestorage unit 131, and thecontrol unit 150 sequentially. InFIG. 2 , the components of thestorage unit 131 are not illustrated in detail. If, for example, thestorage unit 131 is divided into ROM and RAM, the reset signal may be transmitted to the ROM first, and then transmitted to the RAM. - In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2A , the delay circuit is realized using resistance and capacitor, but the delay circuit may be realized using other elements and circuit components. Additionally, in the exemplary embodiment, thereset unit 160 is realized using a single OR logic element and two AND logic elements, but other logic elements and other circuit elements could be used to realize thereset unit 160. - As illustrated in
FIG. 2A , even if a reset signal is generated following instant voltage drop of thepower supply unit 110, the entire system may not be reset. In addition, as thepower management unit 140 and thecontrol unit 150 are reset sequentially, enough time can be secured to stabilize the system power before thecontrol unit 150 is reset. - As illustrated in
FIG. 2A , in addition to the power management functions illustrated above, the components of the image-formingapparatus 100 may include additional functions and connections. For example, thecontrol unit 150 may include a watchdog timer to output a counter to thepower management unit 140 if an error is detected or if no action is taken or command is given before a predetermined period of time. Thepower management unit 140 may initiate a power reboot if the watchdog timer counts up or down to a predetermined level. - In addition, various components of the image-forming
apparatus 100 may be connected to transmit and receive data, including imaging data, command data, addresses, feedback, etc.FIG. 2A illustrates asub-device sensor 134 connected to thecontrol unit 150 via a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) terminal to communicate data. In addition, thecontrol unit 150 may be connected to thepower management unit 140, or any other desired component, via a UART terminal. - One or more of the components of the image-forming
apparatus 100 may be connected via a bus, such as a data bus, an address bus, or a command bus. For example, inFIG. 2A , thecontrol unit 150, thecommunication device 133, thedigital signal processor 132, and thestorage device 131 all share at least one bus. - The order in which power is supplied to various components of the image-forming
apparatus 100 may be varied by varying the switches to which the various components are connected.FIG. 2B illustrates a configuration of the image-formingapparatus 100 similar to that ofFIG. 2A , except thatfunctional units switches switch 121 and the DC/DC converter 124. Some communication connections between components are omitted fromFIG. 2B for clarity. -
FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram provided to explain power output corresponding to each mode of the image-formingapparatus 100 illustrated inFIG. 2B . A power switch may be turned on in a first stage (mode A, “power switch on”). Specifically, if the switch of theimage forming apparatus 100 is turned on and AC power is input, outputs of thepower supply unit 110 increase to a 5V voltage (5V_SMPS) and 24V voltage (24V SMPS), and a 5V power signal (5V_SMPS) is provided to thepower management unit 140. - When 5V_SMPS power is stabilized, the
power detector 161 of thereset unit 160 generates a reset signal nRST_POWER, and thepower management unit 140 is reset and booted. When thepower management unit 140 is booted, thepower management unit 140 provides power to thecontrol unit 150 by applying anenable signal nEN —5V to theswitching element 121. Enabling theswitching element 121 results in an output of a 5V power signal (“5V”) which is provided to the DC/DC converter 124 to output the 3.3V and 1.8V power output signals (only the 3.3V power output is illustrated inFIG. 3 ). As the delayed reset signal is provided to thecontrol unit 150, thecontrol unit 150 is booted after power is provided. - After the
control unit 150 is booted, the switchingelements power management unit 140 are controlled in order to provide power to other components, and a reset signal is applied to peripheral devices and a plurality offunction units 130 so that the image forming apparatus enters into a ready mode (mode B, “ready”). For example, thepower management unit 140 may turn on theswitches functional units power management unit 140 may enable theswitching element 123 to supply power to themotor unit 135. - After the ready mode passes and a predetermined time elapses, if a power save mode is needed (mode C, “power save”), the
control unit 150 controls the switchingelement image forming apparatus 100 may be reduced. - After the power save mode passes and a predetermined time elapses, if an off mode (mode D, “off mode”) is needed, the
control unit 150 notifies thepower management unit 140 of the mode change to the off mode, and thepower management unit 140 may control theswitching unit 120 to cut off power provided to the function unit 130 (or the function units 132-136) and thecontrol unit 150. Alternatively, thepower management unit 140 may provide power only to theuser interface unit 136 and thecommunication function unit 132 so that a control command by a user and a control command from a printing controlling apparatus (not shown) may be received. Accordingly, power consumption of theimage forming apparatus 100 is reduced more than in the power save mode. - After the off mode passes and a control command by a user is received through the user interface unit 130 (mode E, “wakeup”), the
power management unit 140 controls theswitching unit 120 to provide power to thecontrol unit 150 and the plurality offunction units 130 and generates a system reset signal (nRST_SYSTEM) so as to be in a ready mode “F.” - After the ready mode passes and a user command to enter into the off mode is received (mode G, “off mode”), the
control unit 150 controls the switchingelements control unit 150 notifies thepower management unit 140 of the mode change to the off mode, and thepower management unit 140 may control theswitching unit 120 to cut off power provided to the function units 131-136 and thecontrol unit 150. - If a command to end a system is received by a user through the
user interface unit 136 or external AC power is cut off (mode H, “switch off”), thepower management unit 140 may generate a system reset signal to shut down power to the entire system of the image-formingapparatus 100 and to sequentially cut off the main power of such devices as theconverter 124. Thepower management unit 140 may control at least one of the plurality of switching elements to be turned on so as to discharge an electric charge accumulated in a capacitor of theimage forming apparatus 100 or in another electrical component. -
FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the power management unit illustrated inFIG. 1 . If the power switch of the image forming apparatus is turned on and AC power is applied to the power supply unit 110 (S411), thepower management unit 140 performs booting of thecontrol unit 150 through as illustrated in mode A inFIG. 3 (S412) so as to enter into a ready mode (S413). - If a command to enter into the power save mode or the off mode is received from a user or the control unit 150 (S414), the
switching unit 120 may be controlled so that power corresponding to the power save mode and the off mode is provided to thefunction unit 130 and the control unit 150 (S415). - After the power save mode or the off mode starts (S416), if a command to enter into a standby mode is input from a user or the control unit 150 (S417), the
switching unit 120 is controlled to provide power to thefunction unit 130 and thecontrol unit 150 and a system reset signal may be transmitted to the control unit 150 (S418). - If power failure is detected due to power drop of AC power or unpredicted error, the
power management unit 140 may transmit a system reset signal to thecontrol unit 150 to reboot the system (S420). -
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling power according to an exemplary embodiment of the present general inventive concept. - When AC power is applied to the image forming apparatus 100 (S510), DC power may be generated. Specifically, if a power switch is turned on and AC power is applied to the
image forming apparatus power management unit 140. - If external power is detected (S520), a reset signal to be input to the
power management unit 140 and a reset signal to be input to thecontrol unit 150 may be generated sequentially (S530). The reset signal transmitted to thepower management unit 140 causes thepower management unit 140 to boot. - The booted
power management unit 140 may control power provided to thecontrol unit 150 and a plurality offunction units 130 according to the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 100 (S540). Such operation of thepower management unit 140 has already been explained with reference toFIGS. 1 to 4 and is omitted here. - In addition, the
power management unit 140 may generate a system reset signal of thecontrol unit 150 according to an operation mode, and thecontrol unit 150 may generate a reset signal for a plurality of function units according to an operation mode and manage the system (S550). - According to the present general inventive concept, the
image forming apparatus 100 may control power supply to a plurality of components of the image forming apparatus individually, and thus power management may become easier. In addition, the power provided to a converter and a control unit may be cut off, thereby reducing power consumption to less than 1 W. The method for managing power illustrated inFIG. 5 may be applied to the image forming apparatus having the configuration ofFIG. 1 , and may also be applied to an image forming apparatus having other configuration. -
FIGS. 6A and 6B are block diagrams that illustrate examples of an image-formingapparatus 200 according to embodiments of the present general inventive concept. The image-formingapparatus 200 ofFIGS. 6A and 6B are similar to the image-formingapparatus 100 ofFIGS. 1 and 2 . As illustrated inFIG. 6A , the image-formingapparatus 200 may include apower supply unit 210 to supply power to a plurality of function units via aswitching unit 220. Upon receiving external power, thepower supply unit 210 may output power signals to theswitching unit 220 and to apower management unit 240. Thepower management unit 240 may control the first through fourth switching elements 221-224 to supply power to the functional units. For example, thepower management unit 240 may first control thefirst switching element 221 to supply power to thecontrol unit 250 before supplying power to the remaining functional units 231-236. Next, thepower management unit 240 may control the second andthird switching elements device communication unit 233, theuser interface unit 236, theimage processing unit 232, the externaldevice control unit 234, and thedata storage unit 231. Finally, if needed, for example, if a printing or copying operation is to be performed, thepower management unit 240 may control thefourth switching element 224 to supply power to themotor unit 235. - Alternatively, as illustrated in
FIG. 6B , thepower supply unit 210 may output power to thepower management unit 240 and theswitching unit 220 directly. Thepower supply unit 210 may also output power to adelay unit 260, which may include delay circuitry including one or more capacitors, resistors, and/or transistors, for example, and power from thepower supply unit 210 may be output to thedata storage unit 231 or another functional unit after it is received by thepower management unit 240. This may allow thedata storage unit 231 to be operational to transmit program data to thecontrol unit 250 when thecontrol unit 250 powers up, for example. As an example of adelay unit 260, a plurality of inverters may be connected in series. - According to yet another alternative, as illustrated in
FIG. 6C , power from thefirst switching element 221 may be output to adelay circuit 260 and to thedata storage unit 231. Then, after a delay, the power from thefirst switching element 221 may power up thecontrol unit 250 which may access data in thedata storage unit 231. - Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims (29)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/061,978 US8965235B2 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2013-10-24 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR2009-94666 | 2009-10-06 | ||
KR1020090094666A KR101653619B1 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2009-10-06 | Image forming apparatus and method fot controlling power of thereof |
KR10-2009-0094666 | 2009-10-09 |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/061,978 Continuation US8965235B2 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2013-10-24 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110081160A1 true US20110081160A1 (en) | 2011-04-07 |
US8611777B2 US8611777B2 (en) | 2013-12-17 |
Family
ID=43430728
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/881,462 Active 2031-06-24 US8611777B2 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2010-09-14 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof |
US14/061,978 Active US8965235B2 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2013-10-24 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/061,978 Active US8965235B2 (en) | 2009-10-06 | 2013-10-24 | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US8611777B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2312402B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2011079314A (en) |
KR (1) | KR101653619B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102035974B (en) |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20130101306A1 (en) * | 2011-10-19 | 2013-04-25 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Power control apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same |
CN103257514A (en) * | 2012-01-10 | 2013-08-21 | 株式会社理光 | Communication device and control method for communication device |
US20130297920A1 (en) * | 2012-04-24 | 2013-11-07 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Method and device for saving running log |
US20150085313A1 (en) * | 2013-09-26 | 2015-03-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Information processing apparatus and method for controlling the same |
US20150124274A1 (en) * | 2013-11-05 | 2015-05-07 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Electronic device and method of checking connected state of signal line thereof |
US20170168553A1 (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2017-06-15 | Inventec Technology Co., Ltd | Drive control device |
US9749528B1 (en) * | 2015-06-11 | 2017-08-29 | Ambarella, Inc. | Multi-stage wakeup battery-powered IP camera |
US9906722B1 (en) | 2016-04-07 | 2018-02-27 | Ambarella, Inc. | Power-saving battery-operated camera |
US20180164735A1 (en) * | 2015-05-29 | 2018-06-14 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Power supply and image forming apparatus |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR101653619B1 (en) * | 2009-10-06 | 2016-09-02 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Image forming apparatus and method fot controlling power of thereof |
US9018882B2 (en) * | 2011-01-26 | 2015-04-28 | Yaskawa America, Inc. | Variable frequency drive bypass energy savings |
JP5975662B2 (en) * | 2012-02-06 | 2016-08-23 | キヤノン株式会社 | Image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus control method |
JP2013186238A (en) * | 2012-03-07 | 2013-09-19 | Canon Inc | Image processor, control method thereof, and program |
JP5866276B2 (en) * | 2012-12-28 | 2016-02-17 | 京セラドキュメントソリューションズ株式会社 | Power management system |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20050110898A1 (en) * | 2003-11-25 | 2005-05-26 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Power supply for image-forming apparatuses having a power management function |
US20090060537A1 (en) * | 2007-08-30 | 2009-03-05 | Oki Data Corporation | Image forming apparatus |
Family Cites Families (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR960010183B1 (en) * | 1993-10-23 | 1996-07-26 | 김광호 | Image recording apparatus and control method thereof for energy economization |
JPH07261614A (en) * | 1994-03-23 | 1995-10-13 | Toshiba Corp | Image forming device and image forming method thereof |
JPH07262614A (en) * | 1994-03-24 | 1995-10-13 | Toshiba Corp | Information recording medium |
JPH07288613A (en) * | 1994-04-15 | 1995-10-31 | Canon Inc | Facsimile equipment |
CN1067205C (en) * | 1997-04-14 | 2001-06-13 | 鸿友科技股份有限公司 | Image processing device |
JP2001201986A (en) * | 2000-01-21 | 2001-07-27 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming device and power saving mode controlling method of image forming device |
US7430677B2 (en) * | 2004-08-05 | 2008-09-30 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Data processing device, and control method of data processing device |
JP4182090B2 (en) * | 2004-08-05 | 2008-11-19 | キヤノン株式会社 | Data processing device |
JP4244918B2 (en) * | 2004-12-13 | 2009-03-25 | コニカミノルタビジネステクノロジーズ株式会社 | Image forming apparatus |
JP2006229712A (en) * | 2005-02-18 | 2006-08-31 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Image forming apparatus |
US7856191B2 (en) * | 2006-07-06 | 2010-12-21 | Xerox Corporation | Power regulator of multiple integrated marking engines |
KR101653619B1 (en) * | 2009-10-06 | 2016-09-02 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Image forming apparatus and method fot controlling power of thereof |
-
2009
- 2009-10-06 KR KR1020090094666A patent/KR101653619B1/en active IP Right Grant
-
2010
- 2010-03-23 EP EP10157316.0A patent/EP2312402B1/en active Active
- 2010-09-14 US US12/881,462 patent/US8611777B2/en active Active
- 2010-09-29 CN CN201010295547.0A patent/CN102035974B/en active Active
- 2010-10-06 JP JP2010226974A patent/JP2011079314A/en active Pending
-
2013
- 2013-10-24 US US14/061,978 patent/US8965235B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20050110898A1 (en) * | 2003-11-25 | 2005-05-26 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Power supply for image-forming apparatuses having a power management function |
US20090060537A1 (en) * | 2007-08-30 | 2009-03-05 | Oki Data Corporation | Image forming apparatus |
Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9313351B2 (en) * | 2011-10-19 | 2016-04-12 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Power control apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same |
US20130101306A1 (en) * | 2011-10-19 | 2013-04-25 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Power control apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same |
CN103257514A (en) * | 2012-01-10 | 2013-08-21 | 株式会社理光 | Communication device and control method for communication device |
US20130297920A1 (en) * | 2012-04-24 | 2013-11-07 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Method and device for saving running log |
US9323593B2 (en) * | 2012-04-24 | 2016-04-26 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Method and device for saving running log of an operating system during a soft reset |
US20150085313A1 (en) * | 2013-09-26 | 2015-03-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Information processing apparatus and method for controlling the same |
US20150124274A1 (en) * | 2013-11-05 | 2015-05-07 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Electronic device and method of checking connected state of signal line thereof |
US9736322B2 (en) * | 2013-11-05 | 2017-08-15 | S-Printing Solution Co., Ltd. | Electronic device and method of checking connected state of signal line thereof |
US20180164735A1 (en) * | 2015-05-29 | 2018-06-14 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Power supply and image forming apparatus |
US10175632B2 (en) * | 2015-05-29 | 2019-01-08 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Power supply and image forming apparatus |
US9749528B1 (en) * | 2015-06-11 | 2017-08-29 | Ambarella, Inc. | Multi-stage wakeup battery-powered IP camera |
US20170168553A1 (en) * | 2015-12-15 | 2017-06-15 | Inventec Technology Co., Ltd | Drive control device |
US9906722B1 (en) | 2016-04-07 | 2018-02-27 | Ambarella, Inc. | Power-saving battery-operated camera |
US10187574B1 (en) | 2016-04-07 | 2019-01-22 | Ambarella, Inc. | Power-saving battery-operated camera |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN102035974A (en) | 2011-04-27 |
EP2312402B1 (en) | 2018-09-19 |
EP2312402A2 (en) | 2011-04-20 |
JP2011079314A (en) | 2011-04-21 |
KR101653619B1 (en) | 2016-09-02 |
KR20110037286A (en) | 2011-04-13 |
US8611777B2 (en) | 2013-12-17 |
US20140050501A1 (en) | 2014-02-20 |
EP2312402A3 (en) | 2015-12-30 |
US8965235B2 (en) | 2015-02-24 |
CN102035974B (en) | 2016-03-16 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8965235B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus and method of controlling power thereof | |
US9658681B2 (en) | Power supply system and image forming apparatus | |
US8901780B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
US7966501B2 (en) | Multi-function peripheral, power supply apparatus, and power supply control method | |
JP2009080597A (en) | Information processor | |
US7541692B2 (en) | Peripheral device having a power supply | |
US8289744B2 (en) | Power supply unit, image forming apparatus, and method for controlling power supply | |
US20110273742A1 (en) | Electronic apparatus, image forming apparatus, and computer program product | |
US20120134190A1 (en) | Image forming apparatus and control method thereof | |
JP5932738B2 (en) | Electronic device and power control method for control unit of electronic device | |
US8347136B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus and control method thereof | |
US9749489B2 (en) | Power control device and image forming device | |
CN104519222A (en) | Information processing apparatus and method for controlling the same | |
JP2008236873A (en) | Apparatus and method for controlling power supply, and image processor | |
US9853495B2 (en) | Discharge circuit, information processing apparatus, discharge method, and storage medium | |
JP5637275B2 (en) | Power supply device and image forming apparatus | |
JP6541750B2 (en) | Electronic device, power control method to control unit of electronic device | |
JP6242433B2 (en) | Electronic device, power control method for control unit of electronic device | |
JP2023179206A (en) | Power supply device and image forming device | |
JP6589643B2 (en) | Image forming system and image forming apparatus | |
JP2011250584A (en) | Power supply control apparatus | |
JP6132439B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus | |
US10627892B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus with circuit unit to cut off power to itself and its CPU in a standby mode | |
JP5531522B2 (en) | Image forming apparatus and data storage method | |
JPH10136566A (en) | Data transfer processing device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:YOON, YEO-PHIL;YOON, YONG-BIN;OH, HAN-SANG;SIGNING DATES FROM 20100831 TO 20100906;REEL/FRAME:024983/0682 |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: S-PRINTING SOLUTION CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD;REEL/FRAME:041852/0125 Effective date: 20161104 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:S-PRINTING SOLUTION CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:047370/0405 Effective date: 20180316 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE DOCUMENTATION EVIDENCING THE CHANGE OF NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 047370 FRAME 0405. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:S-PRINTING SOLUTION CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:047769/0001 Effective date: 20180316 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF Free format text: CHANGE OF LEGAL ENTITY EFFECTIVE AUG. 31, 2018;ASSIGNOR:HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:050938/0139 Effective date: 20190611 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., TEXAS Free format text: CONFIRMATORY ASSIGNMENT EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 2018;ASSIGNOR:HP PRINTING KOREA CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:050747/0080 Effective date: 20190826 |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 8TH YEAR, LARGE ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M1552); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Year of fee payment: 8 |